DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — The 3 has finally returned to the Sprint Cup Series.

One of NASCAR’s most famous car numbers has not been on a Cup car at Daytona International Speedway since the death of seven-time Cup champion Dale Earnhardt on the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

But nearly 13 years later, the legendary No. 3 has returned as rookie driver Austin Dillon, the grandson of team owner Richard Childress, will race it this season. Childress announced in December that he would bring back the No. 3 and Dillon is set to drive it on the track for the first time Thursday during preseason testing at Daytona.

Earnhardt won a total of 34 races in a variety of series at Daytona, more than any other driver. He won the 1998 Daytona 500 and had three Cup points victories at the historic track.

Dillon, the 2013 Nationwide Series champion and 2011 Camping World Truck Series champion, has driven the No. 3 throughout his racing career but Thursday was his first time in a Cup car bearing the famous number.

“It’s really special to see it back at the track,” Childress said Thursday in the Daytona garage. “I’ve been seeing the Nationwide 3 and the truck 3, but today it will be real special seeing the 3 back on there.

“I’ve already had fans as I walked in saying, ‘Hey, we’re glad to see it back, we want to see it back.’ I’ve had a couple of drivers already tell me the same thing, too, that it’s going to be neat to race against the 3, especially some of the guys that never got to race against it.”

Childress, who owns the rights to the number and raced it early in his driving career, has said only his family or a member of the Earnhardt family would ever race the slanted, stylized 3 made famous by the Hall of Fame driver.

“In my ideal world, Dale Jr. would have driven the 3, but interestingly enough, he and (Earnhardt replacement) Kevin Harvick … didn’t want any part of that, didn’t want that responsibility, didn’t want that pressure,” said NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Darrell Waltrip, one of Earnhardt’s longtime rivals.

“It’s really bold on Childress’ part, and for Dillon to be willing to accept the pressure that comes with that number. But I’m excited for it being on the track.”

Waltrip said NASCAR shouldn’t retire car numbers.

“I see that 3 and it conjures up a lot of memories — some good, some not so good,” Waltrip said. “I don’t think we’re in a position to retire numbers. It’s history. You don’t want to leave history behind. You want to keep building on that history. … It pays a lot of respect to the man.”